


Liberosis

by orphan_account



Series: Vices FAHC Verse [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: A couple of rowdy teens causing a ruckus, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Backstory, FAHC, Fake AH Crew, Gen, Growing Up Together, Pre-Fake AH Crew, and then things take a sharp turn for the worse, i wrote this from 1 to 2 am without a beta so! sorry about that!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:26:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22399318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: There are some things Gavin wishes he could be free of. His past is probably the biggest one.A look into Gavin and Dan’s friendship before Gavin moved to Los Santos.
Relationships: Gavin Free & Dan Gruchy
Series: Vices FAHC Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612174
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Liberosis

**Author's Note:**

> So! I mentioned either in a comment or in one of the notes in Foster that I wanted to write this, and I did! 
> 
> I haven't written Dan before, and I don't know his voice well, so I apologize if he seems a bit ooc!

Gavin was in detention. Again. It was for something that really _ wasn’t his fault _ .  _ Again. _

Sure, he probably shouldn’t have tried to swipe that kid’s wallet, especially since there had been  _ way _ more money in it than any kid in secondary school really ought to have had, but Gavin just couldn’t help himself. The kid had been bragging all  _ day _ about all the birthday money he had gotten, about how  _ nice _ it felt to have it, even if he didn’t spend it, and how  _ nobody _ else would have the money he had. Talking like that, he had practically been  _ begging _ for Gavin to take it. Of course, the teacher hadn’t agreed, so there Gavin was, in detention once more.

This time, though, he wasn’t alone, though he wished he had been.

Apparently, the kid and his friends hadn’t agreed to Gavin’s reasoning either, and several of them ended up being caught helping the kid get his vengeance in the form of a rather nasty black eye and several gross bruises. And now, Gavin was stuck in a room with them.

They all took up one side of the room, working on homework or whatever, while the other side was practically empty save for one kid who was sitting there, alone, writing some kind of paper. Sitting there was a much better option than with the kids who had helped beat him up, so, rather awkwardly, Gavin had walked up to him.

“Is it alright if I sit next to you?” Gavin asked the dark-haired boy quietly, “The rest of the kids here are a bunch of bellends.”

The other boy looked up at Gavin, confused for a moment, before he shrugged.

“Sure, go for it.” He said, returning to his paper. Gavin slid into the chair beside him, awkwardly shifting and fiddling with his outfit, trying to find something to do besides the homework he had already finished in class. He couldn’t help but notice the dark-haired kid’s eyes shifting over to him every so often, though Gavin couldn’t tell if it was because the kid was getting annoyed with him, or because he was just wondering what in the hell Gavin was doing.

“I’m Gavin, by the way,” Gavin said in a cheerful whisper, “What’s yours?”

“Oh, I’m, uh, Daniel. My friends call me Dan.” 

“Can I call you Dan?”

Dan blinked, looking at Gavin with that sort of confusion that he was rather used to getting when asking questions, then, to Gavin’s surprise, Dan smiled.

“Sure, why not.”

“ _ Really _ ?” Gavin squeed quietly, positively  _ beaming _ , “That’s top! So,  _ Dan _ , what brings you to detention?”

“I swore at a teacher because he was bein’ a git,” Dan muttered, crossing his arms, “He deserved it, too, no matter what the rest of the teachers say. What about you?”

“I tried to take a wallet from some jerk who flauntin’ it around. Then he and those bastards,” Gavin jabbed a thumb discretely towards the other side of the room. “Beat me up.”

“And they put you all in detention?  _ Together _ ?”

“Yeah! Really not a great idea on their part.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Mr. Grunchy and Mr. Free,” The harsh, deep voice of the teacher in charge of detention snapped, causing the two boys to flinch, “May I remind you there is no  _ talking _ in detention?”

“Sorry, sir…” Gavin and Dan muttered, though a single glance between them said everything: This partnership wasn’t over.

\---

“ _ Bloody hell _ , B,” Dan remarked as Gavin slumped into the across from him at the cafe, “What  _ happened _ ?”

“Someone stole something from that stupid bully, and the dick blamed me.” Gavin huffed, wishing he had taken up his friend on her makeup lessons, just so he wouldn’t have to explain the new bruises and black eye to his parents again.

“ _ Jesus _ …” Dan breathed out, then, quietly, “So?”

“So what?”

“Did you take it?”

“ _ No _ ! They stole his money!” Gavin smirked, ignoring the dull pain in his face as he did, as well as the pain in his body as he pulled out a shiny, silver Rolex, “I stole his watch.”

“ _ Gav _ , you  _ madman _ ! You know what he’s gonna do to you if he finds out?”

“That’s the best  _ part _ , B: He’s not  _ going  _ to! There were  _ so _ many kids around when I took it, it could’ve been anyone. He knows I’m not stupid enough to try and steal from him again.”

“But… You  _ did _ steal from him again.”

“That’s besides the point.”

“Which is?”

“I have a shiny, silver,  _ very _ expensive object that I can sell at a pawn shop for quick cash, and there’s a  _ really _ nice restaurant a few blocks away from the nearest one. Whaddya say I treat my best friend to a nice dinner?”

\---

Gavin, as he grew older, quickly found he was good at a handful of things. He was good at stealing things, hacking things, and running away. 

When he had been younger, before he had stolen the Rolex and taken Dan out to dinner, he had always tried to stand his ground, talk his way out, and while it worked on some people, not  _ everyone _ was receptive to Gavin’s silver tongue. True, as he forged it to be better and more convincing, more people were, but there always was that one odd person that was either too  _ angry  _ or too  _ focused _ to listen, so Gavin had learned the fine art of running away.

For instance, on the rare occasion Gavin got caught stealing, like the one he and Dan were currently in, it was rather hard to get the burly gentleman to listen to the scrawny kid and his friend, so they ran as long as they could until Dan finally had the bright idea of dragging Gavin into a hiding spot and waiting for the man to pass them by.

Gavin couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him as he rode the adrenaline high, staring at Dan with a wide grin and wild green eyes. Dan was looking back at him with a similar expression, though maybe slightly less on the wild side.

“Wh-- What did you even  _ take _ ?” Dan wheezed out as he continued to try and catch his breath, “That bloke was  _ pissed _ .”

Gavin slowly took the small, black box out from his jacket pocket, opening it to reveal a simple gold chain. Dan looked between the accessory and Gavin, his mouth gaping.

“That’s--”

“ _ Twenty-four karat _ ! Can you believe that?”

“How’d you even know he had it?”

“Saw him buy it through the shop window while we were sat outside. It’s why I told you to follow me in the first place.”

“How much you think it’ll sell for?”

Gavin opened his mouth to speak, but found that no words could come out. His smile faltered. The answer was, in all likelihood,  _ a lot _ of money. Maybe more money than either of them were making by stealing wallets, skimming credit cards, and pawning off random crap they managed to swipe once they realized how  _ good _ they were at it, but something deep inside Gavin didn’t want to part with it.  _ Couldn’t _ part with it. Dan must’ve noticed Gavin’s hesitation, because he made an expression that was a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

“What’s up, Gav? Talk to me, B.”

“I dunno, it’s just… I mean, we don’t  _ have _ to sell it, do we?”

“I mean,  _ no _ , but it’s probably worth  _ a lot _ of money.”

“I  _ know _ , Dan, it’s just…” Gavin took the chain out of its box, examining it with something akin to reverence, “It’s  _ nice _ . And besides, we’re doing pretty well-off now, aren’t we? We can use it as a fallback, in case something goes wrong.”

Dan eyed him critically before sighing. 

“You’re lucky you’re my friend, you know,” Dan said, standing as Gavin shoved the box and chain back into his jacket pocket, “If you weren’t, I would’ve knocked you out, stolen it, and reported you to the authorities.”

“Oh  _ please _ , I could fend you off.”

“Could you now?”

“I think so, yeah.”

The conversation continued similarly as they made their way home, and Gavin hadn’t even noticed he had been gripping the box in his pocket until he went to take his jacket off in his room.

\---

Gavin wasn’t sure what he had just gotten into, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

He had only been trying to get into the camera records of a certain shop that he and Dan had been pilfering so he could erase a few files, nothing big, but as he had been searching, he found footage of… well, nothing good. It had shown a man walking into the store like he owned the place, straight up to the front counter before talking to the cashier, the phrase “protection” being thrown around like it was nothing. Then, after slamming his hands down, he was given money. It almost reminded Gavin of a gang, like the ones he saw in movies and on T.V., and, being the curious cat, Gavin had begun digging deeper, finding similar footage or financial reports within various other shops in the area. 

It was at that point that Gavin realized that someone had begun trying to get into  _ his _ system as well, and, in a panic, had unplugged the damn thing. He hadn’t known if they had managed to get into the system, hell, he hadn’t even known if they managed to find his  _ house _ . Well, not  _ his _ house.

He had been using the computer at  _ Dan _ ’ _ s _ house, because Gavin’s house was without power for a couple days until his electrician could figure out what was wrong, and he had likely just  _ led _ them there.

“ _ Dammit _ …” Gavin muttered, causing Dan to cast a look over at him, “I’m an  _ idiot _ .”

“A little bit, yeah,” Dan agreed, then, a bit more concerned, “What’s gone wrong?”

“I… We might be in trouble, B.”

“When are we  _ not _ in trouble?”

“I mean  _ more _ than usual. I… I think we need to get out of here, and soon.”

“Gavin.  _ What did you do _ ?”

Gavin knew that tone. It was the tone that people used when they were fed up with his antics. The twenty-one-year-old knew it almost  _ too _ well, though he had very rarely ever heard it from Dan. He had heard after Dan had gotten arrested, he had heard it when Gavin himself had gotten arrested, and he had even heard it when Dan broke his arm while he and Gavin were running from a  _ very _ angry drunkard they had pick-pocketed, but other than those times, it was a tone his friend very rarely used. It made Gavin squirm.

“It’s… A long story. I don’t think it’s safe for us to stay here tonight.”

“ _ Gav-- _ ”

“Just trust me on this, alright Dan?” Gavin was starting to sound desperate, even to his own ears, and, with a look of annoyance followed by one of resignation, Dan sighed.

Gavin wasn’t sure how he was going to make up for that one.

\---

The sound of the door being broken down was what woke Gavin up. They two of them had been staying in another friend’s bungalow, since they were out of town, and Gavin had  _ thought _ they would be safe. It was only after he heard footsteps thundering through the place that he realized that, no matter how much security the bungalow likely had, if they had managed to get into Gavin’s system, they at least knew his name, which meant it would’ve been  _ very _ easy to identify him and where he was going.

He was an  _ idiot _ .

“Oi!” He heard Dan shout, muffled by the room’s shut door, “Who the hell are you?”

“Sorry ‘bout this, mate, but we’re not here for you,” Another, much gruffer voice replied, “We’re here for Gavin Free. We know he’s here.”

Gavin’s breath hitched as he slowly crept from his bed. He hadn’t been able to sleep soundly without being in at least some form of proper clothing, which had ended up being a navy button-up, some jeans, his chain, and, with little to no effort, a pair of converse. 

“Sorry, I’m the only one here. Gav went to spend the night somewhere else.”

“Don’t feed me that bullshit, kid. Tell me where that little rat is before I decide to tear you a new one, too.”

There was a moment of tense silence, and Gavin could feel himself shaking. He was almost positive Dan would’ve sold him out, and they would’ve caught him right in the middle of opening the window to the backyard and killed him right then and there, but as it slid, Gavin was surprised.

“Sorry, but it’s all you’re gonna get.”

Within moments, Gavin could hear the noises of a scuffle, and, in a panic, he all but leapt out the window, making sure to grab his phone and laptop bag before closing the exit behind him. Then, as soon as it looked clear, he booked it through the yard, hopping over the back fence to the road on the other side. The moment he knew he was safe, without even thinking, he dialed 999. As he was greeted by the operator, he could hear a gunshot go off, and his blood ran cold.

“A home just got broken into,” Gavin managed, his voice steadier than he was, “I think someone got shot.”

\---

As soon as he could hear the sirens, Gavin started running again, no real destination in mind. All he knew was that he had to get  _ away _ , because the farther he got from Dan, the  _ safer _ Dan was. It was something he had been learning for a while, something that was impossible to miss.

He could only hope Dan would forgive him, one day. 

\---

It wasn’t right, seeing Dan so…  _ lifeless _ .

Of course, he was  _ alive _ , thank goodness, but he was so still, so quiet save for the sound of his breathing, and it just wasn’t  _ right _ . The longer Gavin looked at him, the deeper the pit in his stomach grew, and the more sure of his choice he became. 

“Oh, Gavin,” A woman’s voice from behind him pulled him from his thoughts, causing him to whirl around and see the face of Dan’s own mother, “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

Gavin took a steadying breath, gripping the golden chain in his hand like a vice.

“‘Course I’m here, Mrs. Gruchy,” Gavin said quietly, his voice much too flat, “He’s my B. It’d be a crime if I didn’t come to see him.”

Especially since it would likely be the last time Gavin saw him. 

“Oh, well I’m glad you’re here. I have something to give you.”

Gavin turned around again, just in time to see Dan’s mom pull out a sleek black glasses case with the initials “G.B.” embedded into the top, shimmering gold. He recognized the initials as the ones he used for his callname, “Golden Boy”. It had been a joke that went too far and became serious. 

Gavin took the case slowly, then opened them to reveal a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses with matching golden lenses. Gavin could only gape for a moment before he finally managed to get one word out.

“What…”

“He wanted to give them to you. For your birthday,” Dan’s mom explained, “When you had said you were gonna be staying for a while, he asked us to hang onto them.”

“Why give them to me now?”

“Oh, Gavvy… I recognized that look in your eyes the moment you dropped by to tell us what happened.” Gavin looked up at her, taking in her sad smile as she strode out of the room. “After all, Dan always did say you were good at running.”

He wasn’t sure if the last phrase was  _ meant _ to sting, but it did nonetheless. Still, it wouldn’t deter Gavin from his course of action. It was the right thing for everyone, really. With Gavin leaving, Dan would be safe and Gavin could do  _ so much _ more, win-win.

As quietly as he could, Gavin fished his goodbye letter from his bag and placed it on Dan’s bedside table alongside with, once he placed it back in its old box, Gavin’s chain. It was the least he could’ve done, really, after everything Dan had done for him. 

“See you around, B,” Gavin said quietly, his heart much too heavy for someone known as Golden Boy, “Try to get better soon, you hear?”

And with that, Gavin began his journey to Los Santos.

\---

Dan often found himself missing the old days, as hectic and scary as they were.

Sure, he had gotten arrested, beat up, shot, and generally gone through a load of bullshit, but doing it all alongside a friend like Gavin? The trouble-maker with sticky fingers and a silver tongue, his head full of dreams of gold and power? It made it all worth it. At the very least, it had been a lot more fun than working the small mercenary business he had started up.

As Dan fingered the golden chain he wore around his neck, his phone rang, causing him to raise an eyebrow at the lack of caller ID. Despite the warning signs, he picked it up, thinking it would just be yet another potential job.

“Daniel Gruchy speaking.” He said, all professional.

“Hey there,” The familiar voice on the other end replied, almost causing Dan to drop his phone, “You mind if I just call you Dan?”

“Gavin? Is that  _ you _ ?”

“Yeah,” Gavin said, though his voice sounded strained, as if he were about to cry, “It’s me.”

“Oh my god…” Dan muttered, sitting down in the nearest seat, unable to contain the smile spreading across his face. “Gavin… You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, B. How have you been?”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: fandom-trash224.tumblr.com


End file.
